In the old days, people used to pour tea into the saucer to cool it before drinking, but that custom disappeared a long time ago. Now, if you pour tea into the saucer and drink, you become a laughingstock.

Up to this point, Ariana, who had never learned or had the opportunity to learn such things, believed Victoria’s words without question.

At the garden party she attended for the first time, Ariana, extremely nervous, poured tea into the saucer and made a loud slurping noise, embarrassing herself in front of the nobles gathered there.

The noblewomen and ladies fiercely criticized Ariana, the second princess, for not knowing even basic etiquette, and Rachel spoke, feigning embarrassment.

[Dash]”She has some behavior where she acts on her own, claiming that she’s of the emperor’s lineage. No matter how many governesses I assign, she refuses to learn. It must be my fault.”

Victoria, standing next to her, spoke to Ariana, her expression close to tears.

[Dash]”Sister, please bear with it today, at least. Normally, I would tolerate it, okay?”

Ariana had suddenly become a person who acted on her own, claiming her imperial lineage, and treated her sister rudely, but she could not even make excuses.

With difficulty bearing the cold, critical stares aimed at her, her face turned red, and she broke into tears.

[Dash]”She’s already 16 years old, and she cries and throws a tantrum like that. How to educate her, really…”

[Dash]”It’s not mother’s fault. It’s Ariana who behaves on her own, claiming to be a princess of the empire. Ariana doesn’t listen to mother’s words, what can mother do?”

Helena also seized the opportunity.

The three daughters quickly portrayed Ariana as the tyrant of the Bronthe Ducal House.

Ariana could do nothing but cry in that place where no one was on her side.

‘How foolish of me. There are so many things I can do even without allies.’

The expression disappeared from Ariana’s face after she learned from Victoria how to drink hot tea.

Walking down the corridor, Ariana stared at a large greenhouse visible from the window.

The servants were busy decorating the greenhouse for tomorrow’s party.

Helena and Victoria must be looking forward to tomorrow’s party.

Ariana’s lips slightly curled up.

‘I’m excited too. Tomorrow’s party.’

+++

On an unusually cold day in February of Ratan 210, the afternoon.

Carriages carrying nobles were gathering at the Bronthe Ducal House in Westton City of Seryeong.

Among them were a few particularly splendid carriages, all belonging to the nobles of the Camellia Empire’s capital.

Watching the carriages enter from a tree near the mansion’s front gate, Isaac spoke.

“Rachel is desperate to create good connections for her daughters. Must have spent a lot of money.”

Cyrus was watching the people disembarking from the carriages.

Some of them might have deep connections with the West Emperor. Maybe they even had a hand in the events of the past.

Isaac looked at Cyrus with mischievous eyes.

“How about it? Won’t the expressions be worth seeing if you show up at that party? Are you not thinking of participating?”

“For your amusement? To do something that troublesome?”

“Come on. Sacrificing oneself for a friend. The women will fall over backwards to see you. The first princess of Bronthe might foam at the mouth and collapse.”

Isaac knew that Helena admired Cyrus to the point of hanging his portrait in her room.

Cyrus responded coldly.

“I really don’t want to see that.”

“By the way, the maids, who took orders from the first princess, were carrying something in a hurry to the second princess’s room. Aren’t you going?”

Cyrus narrowed his brows.

“Why should I go there?”

“You want to help her, don’t you?”

“Me?”

Cyrus’s eyes turned icecold.

“Yes, you.”
“Perhaps there will be a time to use it, but I have no intention of playing the role of a nursemaid.”

“Aha.”

Isaac sent a look of disbelief, but Cyrus ignored it.

While the two men were taking in the faces of the nobles, Ariana was being adorned by the maids.

“Miss Helena told us to give this as a gift……”

With a tone that was neither informal nor formal, the maids insolently left the boxes filled with dresses and jewelry they brought into the cramped room.

They moved without asking Ariana’s permission.

They roughly combed Ariana’s hair with a brought comb, changed her clothes, and put on her makeup.

Ariana stood still in front of the mirror, leaving them to their work.

She watched with pleasure as her reflection in the mirror gradually changed.

Her abundant skyblue hair was braided like a child’s, and her complexion darkened with a tone of powder darker than her original pale skin. Her eyebrows were drawn too dark, her eyelids painted red, and her cheeks were heavily blushed with pink.

Once the makeup was finished, her face had become rustic and overly madeup, inappropriate for her age.